LOOK. Jordan Neely dies after being choked by a fellow passenger
The 30-year-old black man and Michael Jackson impersonator was choked by another subway passenger on Monday after he began yelling at passengers. Medical examination confirmed on Wednesday that Neely died of pressure on his neck.
His death is being ruled a homicide, but no arrests have been made or charges have been filed. The lack of action led to protests in the metro stations and on the streets in recent days. Protesters argued that the circumstances surrounding Neely’s death – homelessness, food insecurity and mental health problems – reflect the structural deficiencies in social services to impoverished New Yorkers.
New York homeless representatives and city officials also condemned the death and the city’s inadequate response to people with mental health issues and homelessness. Christian Smalls, a key leader behind Amazon’s successful union in Staten Island, said there was no justification for “suffocating a homeless person” and compared Neely’s death to the murder of George Floyd.
Legal experts told the New York Times that police and prosecutors must decide whether the stranglehold that led to Neely’s death was justified. They must verify whether Jordan Neely “threatened with unlawful force”. Deadly force is only justified if the person “reasonably believes that the other person is using or will use deadly force.”
In an initial statement, Mayor Adams said that “any loss of life is tragic.” “We know there were serious mental health issues involved,” he added at the time. Adams admitted that the police’s initial response “represented the double standard that black people and other people of color still face.” “An account must be taken for his murder, so we are launching a thorough investigation,” said the mayor.